Preparing for Mentok

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Here are some photos of our training session in the Ecrins National Park last weekend (taken by Pierre):

Here is a list of my equipment

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Tricycle :

- ICE QNT 20", with rear suspension, fully equipped with front mudguards, headrest etc

- Transmission Shimano XT with bar ends. Triple cranset (22/24/44) with short cranks (152mm) and 9-32 cassette

- Sturney Archer drum brakes

- Marathon Plus 20x1.75 tyres. First, I considered using a BMX tyre at the rear for a better traction on tracks, but after trying Schwable Jumping Jack and Maxxis Max Daddy, I found that drawbacks on road (friction, noise) outnumbered advantages on tracks. I will see after this summer's test if changes are needed.

UPDATE after one summer cycling in Ladakh : I am satisfied with the Marathon Plus. Though they look thin, they do a good job.

- ICE rack :

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- 1 side bar with 1 handlebar bag on the left + 1 side bar with airzound and a bottle holder on the right :

- Tools and spare parts : nothing original here. 1 pump, 1 inner tube, 1 kit with patch and glue, 1 tyre-lever, 1 chain-tool and a few chain-links, 1 brake cable, 1 derailleur cable, a few allen keys, 1 spoke wrench, 1 light screw driver, 1 Leatherman multi-function knike CS4, 1 hypercraker custom-made by ICE, some screws and bolts, a piece of metal wire, duct-tape and bits of old inner-tubes to make straps, 2m of dynema thin cord, 1 derailler hanger.


Luggage :

Needs:

1) carry about a 40 litre backpack that I need for treks
2) everything must fit in the panniers so as not to have a mess hanging here and there on the rack
3) the weigth must be correctly balanced on the left and on the right, and split between rack and seat to avoid putting too much strain on the rack.

Hence the solution :

Left side :
- 1 fully waterproof MSX pannier (20 litres)
- 1 Alkura handle-bar bag on the side bar (papers, small snacks, compact camera, emergency medecine to avoid having to dig in the rear panniers looking for ventoline or paracetamol)

(photo source : http://www.expemag.com)

Right side :

1 40l backpack inside a home-made side pannier. As it's a 1st try, I used cheap tarpaulin (150 gr/m2), sewned and reinforced with duct-tape to have something stiff and waterproof. Hermetical roll-on closure system at the top (making it possible to reach the content of the bag without undoing everything). The pannier rests partly on the rack thanks to a quick-lock system hijacked from a pair of Ortlieb frontrollers, and on the back of the seat with a big elastic strap. The back of the pannier (esp the part where the quick lock is screwed on) is reinforced with plastic ( a piece of crazy carpet cut and screwed inside the pannier). In order to be able to lock the bag, I added 2 small metal rings, making it possible to use a padlock. Also possible to pass the cable of the cycle-lock thru the rings.

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The pannier is bigger than the backpack alone, so I'll be able to fit in the handle-bar bag and have only one single piece of checked-in luggage in the plane (+ MSX pannier as a hand baggage).

In the backpack : camping and cooking stuff, hiking boots, crampons, ice-axe, harness. Bike tools and spare parts in the upper part of the bag, easily accessible while on the road.

UPDATE after one summer cycling in Ladakh : This tarpaulin pannier proved both good and bad :

Good because it did the job it was supposed to do (carry the backpack and the junk stuff that didn't fit anywhere else...)

But :
- it wasn't fully waterproof. Ok for rain, but water got inside from the bottom when we crossed rivers.
- the cheap tarpaulin isn't strong enough (I knew it wouldn't, it was just a proto)
- it was too big
- I actually needed 2 straps to hold it (1 horizontally, 1 vertically) which wasn't very convenient (takes too much time to attach and undo + makes it impossible to reach the content of the bag while riding), otherwise it would touch the wheel and derailleur and even touch the ground at some point.
- the weight was actually not properly balanced (this is a pb I have to tackle)
- and it looks very ugly on the photos ... ;-(

Now I consider the following solution :

2 MSX rear panniers (40 litres) + 1 fully waterproof backpack tied on the rack, lengthwise. The French compagny Crazy Fish makes an interesting model that I might be able to use ->

The only trouble with this solution is that the whole weight will be on the rack. According to what ICE told me, this shouldn't be a pb as long as I don't have more than 25kg.

I'm also looking at Ortlieb's recumbent panniers which are fully waterproof, but way above my budget :

source : http://www.therandonneeshop.com

Other solution that I'm seriously considering :


Extremtextil has in its catalog some fully-waterproof heatsealable TPU coated fabric that would be perfect for a pair of home-made panniers (480 gr/m2 black/silver et 370 gr/m2 orange). I have received some samples which look very good, and I am working on a tarpaulin prototype.


Camping :

- Mountain Hardware Sprite 1 tent, slightly modified (lighter version). Not fully satisfied with this one (it's good and light, but the inner room is not very practical). Still thinking about what I should do for thee "bigger trip".
- Thermarest Prolite 3 (120cm), perfect !
- Vallandré Swing 900 down sleeping bag which has done its time. Gotta find a new model for the big trip, looking for something slightly warmer (Rab Quantum Endurance ? Valandré Freja ? Triple Zero Astagou 1000 ?)


Clothes & co :

- 2 technical short sleeve tee-shirts
- 1 long sleeve merino tee-shirt
- 1 windstopper sweat-shirt
- 1 down jacket (UPDATE : finally didn't take it)
- 1 goretex jacket
- 1 pair of ultralight hiking trousers
- 1 pair of warmer windstopper trousers
- 1 pair of goretex overtrousers
- underwear
- 2 pairs of trekking socks (1 merino, 1 light)

- 1 pair of merino gloves
- 1 pair of waterproof gloves
- 1 pair of waterproof sealskinz socks with merino inner (to wear in the sandals)
- cycling gaitors (Decathlon)
- 1 hat

- SPD sandals
- helmet
- 1.8m cable-lock for the bike (with alarm)


Toilet bag and medecine :

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For trekking :

- hiking boots
- 1 aluminium ice-axe
- aluminium crampons
- Camp ultra-light harness
- a pair of walking sticks (can't walk without them. Too bad, it implies carrying an extra 400gr!!!)


Misc :

- Nikon D90 + 12-24mm + 85 f1.8 + 1 spare battery + 1 charger
- Compact Panasonic LX3 + 1 spare battery + 1 charger (same cable as for D90)
- 2 4 Go SD cards
- 2 16 Go SD cards
- 1 gorillapod
- 1 eeppc 701 + 1 external drive
- 1 Rhodia A5 style netbook + pen
- some photocopies of maps (Nelles India North, Ladakh Olizanne) (the rest is scanned)
- 1 book (this year, it'll be Lolita by Nabokov, which I'm supposed to read for my studies...)
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The project

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Let me introduce myself : Nanette, with my bike (doesn't sound that good in English, but it rhymes in French...).

And here with my trike :

After several trips - which always seemed too short - in the Himalayas, I really felt like doing a bigger journey, taking time to explore the region more deeply, to meet the people. Of course, travelling by bicycle seemed obvious to me, for the ideal pace it provides, and the pleasure I take in it. The trigger point was when I discovered recumbent bicycles (and particularly trikes). Chance meetings did the rest.


The project :

I want to travel across the Himalayas to continue exploring the world's highest roads, across Northern India, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Chinese Turkestan, Tibet and Nepal, for 8 months, this time on a reccumbent tricycle and on foot.

First stage in the summer 2009 in Ladakh (Indian Himalaya). After a first cycle-touring trip in the region on an up-right bicycle (summer 2008), I would now like to go back to Northern India on three wheels. This trip to familiar ground in the summer 2009 will enable me to fully test the trike and make all the needed adjustments before undertaking a longer and more demanding journey. It will also give me the opportunity to explore some remote parts of Ladakh, including the newly open Wari La road and set a record by taking a tricycle to 3 of the highest motorable passes in the world (Kardung La officially 5606m – Chang La 5360m - Wari La 5328m). I also plan to do some trekking in Zanskar and some climbing (Mentok II 6090m, and maybe Stok Kangri 6153m).

I'll start the journey with Pierre who will ride with me from Keylong to Tso Khar and Tso Moriri. From there, we'll attempt climbing Mentok II.

Itinerary and schedule

1) Indian Himalaya (Ladakh - Zanskar) - July/August 2009
2) The Pamirs (Tajikistan - Kirghizistan : from Dushambe to Osh, then Tashkurgan pass towards Chinese Turkestan) - July 2010
3) North Karakoram (Chinese Turkestan and North Pakistan : from Kashgar to Gilgit return, via Karakul lake and Hunza valley) - August 2010
4) West Tibet (Kashgar - Lhasa via Mount Kailash) - September/October 2010
5) Friendship Highway (Lhasa - Katmandu) - November 2010
6) Trek to the Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Peak - December 2010

Back to Europe via the Transmongolian (January 2011)


Recumbent tricycle

I first had the opportunity to discover recumbents during a cycling trip in the Alps when I happened to stop at M5 in Doussard. I immediately fell in love with the tricycle for its comfort and its stability. It is fun, original and a very friendly means of transportation, creating great interest and even fascination. It will thus allow me to break many cultural barriers. I believe it is a fantastic way to access areas that are rarely visited.

Here is the Trice QNT that I will be riding. It is made by the English manufacturer ICE (Inspired Cycle Engineering Ltd) and was set up with the help of Céline Trousseau (Cyclociel, a recumbent bike shop in Lyon) :

More information on the project on the website :

www.transhimalaya.fr

Itinerary

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1) Indian Himalaya (Laddakh - Zanskar) 1,200 km by tricycle and 10 days of trek, climbing Mentok (6000m and something).
See pages Ladakh 2009 of this blog.

2) The Pamirs and Wakhan (Tajikistan – Northern Afghanistan - Kirgizstan : road from Dushambe to Osh, with a side trip on the Afgan side of the Wakhan Corrigor, then Irkeshtam pass towards Chinese Turkestan) 1,200 km by tricycle and a 7 day trek.

3) North Karakoram (Chinese Turkestan – North Pakistan : from Kashgar to Gilgit, via Karakul lake and the Hunza Valley) 800 km by bike and 10 days of trek (Hunza Valley, Batura glacier).

4) West Tibet (Kashgar – Lhasa via Mount Kailash). Without a doubt one of the hardest cycle-touring roads, bordering the Taklamakan desert, crossing the Kun Lun mountains and the controversial Aksai Chin desert above 5000m of altitude on several hundreds of kms. I will stop by Mount Kailash, the most sacred mountains for Bouddhists, Hindus and other religions, for a trek along the kora. 3,250km by tricycle and 4 days of walking.

5) Friendship Highway (Lhasa – Kathmandu via the Everest Base Camp). A cycle-touring classic, with some more 5,000m passes and spectacular scenery. 1,350km by tricycle plus a 2 day trek.

6) Trek to the Nepali side of the Everest Base Camp (3 weeks of trek during the winter time).

7) Sikkim (region marking the Eastern edge of the Indian Himalaya, and the end of this adventure) 500km riding the tricycle and 4 days trekking before heading back home.

This itinerary is subject to change depending on the situation in Tibet as well as in Pakistan, which change from day to day.
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Calendar

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The first stage (test ride in real conditions) took place in Ladakh during the summer 2009. See pages Ladakh summer 2009 on this blog as well as the photo albums and a few videos.

The big trip is scheduled to start in July 2010.

Rough schedule :

• Pamirs and Wakhan : mid July - mid to late August 2010.

• North Karakoram : mid to late August- early to mid September 2010

• Kashgar - Lhasa : mid September - late october to mid November 2010

• Lhasa-Kathmandou : early to mid November 2010 - early to mid December
  

• Népal : December to early or mid January 2010

• Sikkim (Inde du Nord) : January 2011

I was able to try the tricycle for the first time in December 2008. The training has been taking place in the Alps since January 2009 with several cycle-touring rides and a few passes (approx 5,000km):

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